On a recent afternoon in Brentwood, certified appraiser Ron Simmons teamed up with a photographer to collect information on 378 homes in the city's center.

Simmons bought into Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Zaio and now holds 10 zones, or territories, in Contra Costa County. Simmons purchased the zones at about $7,500 a piece. The price went up to $9,000 last month.

A zone license...

March 24, 2007 By FRANK ABDERHOLDEN fabderholden@scn1.com

ANTIOCH -- With armed robberies happening more often in the Chicago suburbs, Antioch police have taken the initiative to put themselves in the best possible position to solve the crime.

Police Chief James Foerster said that the attempted robbery Jan. 6 last year at First National Bank in Antioch and then the February Burger K...

"If an employer hires someone without documents, they should face prosecution," he said.

McCain said he first began fielding questions about climate change from young people during his 2000 campaign and admitted he knew very little about the subject then.

Vowing to learn, he said he joined forces with Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and now believes the earth is warming and that it is ...

I was born and raised in Algona and graduated from Bishop Garrigan High School. I earned an associate of arts degree from Des Moines Area Community College.

I'm beginning my 25th year at West Bank, having started as a teller and worked my way up in the organization. I am also a graduate of the 2005-06 Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, which was a terrific experience.

I enjoy...

Mar. 23--A major flu pandemic could kill 33,000 Kentuckians and spark severe economic losses in the state, according to a report released yesterday.

Kentucky could lose $8.2 billion -- a 5.87 percent reduction in the state economy -- in a severe flu pandemic.

Those were some of the stark findings of the Trust for America's Health report, which analyzed the economic effect of a seve...

The news that More Than owner Royal & SunAlliance (RSA) is hunting a number of high-profile marketers to lead its customer insight team has led to industry speculations that the once ubiquitous brand will again raise its profile (MW last week).

The RSA brand was once one of the biggest advertisers in the UK. But it has ploughed an increasing share of its marketing budget into the More Tha...

When Sacramento resident Roland Smith wound up with nearly $10,000 in bills for outpatient knee surgery, he wondered why he had bothered to get health insurance at all.

After a slip on a wet garage floor -- followed by arthroscopic knee surgery -- the self-employed 45-year-old found himself buried in hospital and doctors' bills, and later hounded by a collection agency.

"Being 'u...